London Irish suffered heartbreak on St Patrick's Day weekend as London Wasps claimed a record-breaking 22-16 victory in front of 23,709 fans at the Madejski Stadium — a new Guinness Premiership attendance record.
Dave Walder kicked 17 points to inspire London Wasps to a 22-16 Guinness Premiership victory over London Irish on a sun-drenched Paddy's Day Sunday at the Madejski Stadium, in front of a new competition attendance record of 23,709.
Irish made the perfect start when full-back Peter Hewat timed his burst into the line superbly on two minutes, cutting inside Fraser Waters to touch down for the opening try. Eoghan Hickey missed the relatively simple conversion, and Walder struck back immediately with a 15th-minute penalty to reduce the deficit to 5-3.
Hickey and Walder exchanged penalties to leave the score at 8-9 to Wasps at half-time, with Irish unable to convert their early territorial dominance into the points their play deserved. Walder's reliable boot kept Wasps ahead despite the Exiles creating the better chances in the first period.
Wasps seized control in the first minute of the second half. Walder stepped past a tackler, surged through midfield and offloaded to centre Riki Flutey who had an unopposed run to the line. Walder's conversion made it 8-17 and effectively ended the game as a contest.
Irish lost their discipline in a brawl midway through the half, but Walder kept his cool, adding penalties on 57 and 73 minutes to extend the Wasps' lead to 9 points. Speedster Topsy Ojo carved through midfield and offloaded to Sailosi Tagicakibau who coasted over in the corner on 68 minutes, Hickey converting from the touchline to give the Madejski crowd hope.
But Wasps' defence proved impenetrable in the closing stages and they held on comfortably to extend their unbeaten run and consolidate their position in the top four. The result was a blow to Irish's play-off hopes, leaving them needing wins in their remaining matches to have any chance of a top-four finish.
Wasps director of rugby Ian McGeechan praised Walder's game management, while Irish coach Brian Smith admitted his side had been punished for missed opportunities. "We created enough chances in the first half to be well clear," said Smith. "Paddy's Day deserved better."